Pure Obsidian
by Conjectured
Summary: Magic as old as time... Bonds forged to an last eternity... Things of past revisited... And the world will be changed forever. HPCCS crossover.
1. Obsidian Butterfly

Aloha, welcome to my first poor attempt of writing a ccs/hp fic sigh.

Anyway, please bear with me, this chapter will be boring as nothing interesting happens. I just need to lay down the bare facts here. Boring, but necessary. I promise next chapter will be significantly better, thanks to the arrival of a few, dearly beloved characters, you know who I'm talking about wiggles eyebrows... anyway, without further ado, my story:

Oh, oh, wait. Disclaimer: nope, no, do not own this anime and/or manga. Thank god. If I had, I think everyone would hate it.. eep..

Nor do I own Harry Potter D.

"**_Pure;_**

_**Obsidian" **_

-Prologue-

_Two figures sat across from one another, in a room that was an office, discussing mildly important things that may or may not have been about the fate of the world as they knew it. _

"_Now, Miss. Sakura, which of the houses do you wish to be put in? There is no doubt you have the qualities to succeed in any house you desire."_

_The professor was uncomfortable and did not trust the girl in front of her. _

"_I have thought about each and every house and the consequence of being in said house. Actually, I considered being put in Hufflepuff." _

_A small look of surprise flickered across the other person's face, a look so small it almost went by unnoticed. _

_A ghost of a smile appeared on the speaker's face. _

"_However, considering the situation, I shall go willingly to the Gryffindor house. It will give me a better chance to get closer to the target. It may be unnecessary, but it will be easier." _

_The person nodded, sending an approving glance, however small and begrudging, to the afore-mentioned speaker._

"_Very well. You can go, you must be very busy. We shall have everything arranged so your transfer here will go by as smoothly as possible."_

"_Thank you. I shall be awaiting your owl." _

_The much younger speaker, identified before as Sakura, rose and headed towards the door. Before she left the room, she turned once more and addressed the older woman._

"_Professor McGonagall-san, I know that you are wondering at what professor Dumbledore-sama must be thinking, trusting a young girl like me to provide protection to the much-important Harry Potter. I know that you believe in professor Dumbledore-sama, and he believes in my abilities, so in turn I ask you to believe in me. I have faced my fair share of trials too. I also know that you have been told I have a different type of magic, that I am a sorceress. Yes, that is quite true. However, what you may have not been told is that I am also very powerful."_

_An acute look of disbelief flashed on the professor's face, before being skillfully removed at will. _

_Sakura nodded evenly, staring beseechingly into Minerva McGonagall's eyes._

"_In time you shall see. Know this, while Harry Potter is under my protection, he shall come to no harm and I will see to it that he is prepared to meet the challenges he shall face."_

_At this, professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but was cut off before she could say a word. _

"_As you said before, I am very much qualified. He will be ready to the best of my abilities."_

_Sakura stared once more into the face of professor McGonagall, willing her to believe, before bowing and walking out the door._

_-_

_It will be a long time before she can go back to Japan, the country she was born to and loved. Might as well, she mused, make new friends. Starting with Harry Potter._

_-_

_And so onwards she walked, the protector of Harry Potter and of Good, towards her new destiny, towards unforeseen circumstances and situations, and towards the small, cleverly disguised Wizarding pub called the Leaky Cauldron. _

"_**Pure;**_

_**Obsidian" **_

_**(Chapter)**_

_**1**_

**Obsidian;**

**Butterfly..**

That conversation took part more than a year ago, and in that time, Sakura had settled down very well. Of course at first, it was challenging to become friends with the 'Golden Trio of Hogwarts'. Then again, after they had gotten over the whole, "A transfer student? There's something fishy going on…I smell a Deatheater plot…" it was easy enough to get along.

And after one long year of constantly running into each other, getting rid of the suspicions, and backward events, the four students (albeit one undercover) of Hogwarts have come to genuinely like the other, and surprisingly -or not so surprisingly- trusting of one another.

Sakura Kinomoto, the new help enlisted under one, Albus Dumbledore, to fight the Good fight and help protect Harry Potter.

With a petite body figure, she is constantly dwarfed by her fellow students and staff (exempted, of course, by professor Flitwick, the charms teacher who is quite miniscule).Graceful and attractive, she is ingrained into more than one boys' thoughts. She has short auburn hair, not unlike of the style worn when she was a kid, though with a much silkier texture. The sharp angles of her face accentuate the curve of her naturally pale pink mouth and sharp nose, while bringing out the shape of her mesmerizing eyes. Her eyes, often compared to the color of jade and the sparkle of emerald, shined as bright as any jewel. Yet dark and untold secrets lurk deep within.

Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, icon of the Wizarding world (sometimes not) and one third of the Golden Trio.

With a lean build, medium to small in height and outlines of a six-pack, he is constantly admired by girls and the center of their dreams. Harry's hair, a mess before, is now perfectly tamed with many layers that make him look 'wild' (with the help of Sakura). Traces of scars can be found all over his body, evidence to the mass encounters of a deranged lord and his minions, although his alluringly cursed, lightning scar is still the most prominent of all, but hidden under his carefully styled hair. His eyes, like Sakura's, a beautiful green. Eyes that speak of hidden pain and hold an air of maturity.

Ronald Weasley, affectionately called Ron, pure-blooded wizard, sixth son out of seven children and part two of the dream team.

With a tall form, scant centimeters away from being 180, many people have had to crane their necks to look at his face. Combined with a great body (almost near that six-pack also), an almost disturbingly tall figure and filled with outrageously red hair, Ron draws many eyes towards him, more than half girls. His deep blue eyes, crinkling at the edge when he smiles, holds kindness and reveals hints of stubbornness. Underneath all that, however, lays insecurity yet a certain kind of strength.

Hermione Anne Granger, Miss-Know-It-All, Bossy-Boots, and the Book Worm, yet much respected throughout the school and the last third of the Golden Three.

With an athletic physique, shaped by mass walking due to her many travels with her family, she too holds a special place inside boys' nighttime pictures. Her bushy hair has been turned into soft, silky-curls that frame her heart shaped face (once again with the help of Sakura), and eyes that somehow attract you towards it, holding far-seeing knowledge.

-

Eyes, as everyone knows to be said, are the windows to our soul. But it is actually a gateway to what lies behind us, before us, and everything in between.

-

"Ah, finally! Back to school, and our sixth year too! I'm so excited, of course I've already chosen what to do for our subjects, but there were so many to choose from! I hope I get into everything I picked…But if I picked everything that I really wanted to do I would have had to use the time-turner and I do _not_ want to use that, not to mention it was very stressful trying to keep up…"

The other three inside the compartment rolled their eyes.

"Only Hermione could be excited about the first day back at school. Ahh, I wish I was back in Japan. Bloody hell, now _that_ is something to be excited about…" Mumbled Ron.

"Speaking of Japan, Sakura that was _amazing_! Well, more than just amazing! That was, that was..." Hermione spluttered, finally coming to a stop.

"Totally unbelievable!" Ron shouted.

Hermione nodded, unable to think of words to convey her gratitude at being allowed to see something as great as Japan at the expense of Sakura, and trusted Ron to say it for her.

"Absolutely awesome! Hermione? A loss for words? Sakura, it's practically never been done before by a student! You've managed to shut Hermione up!" grinned Ron, a look of hero worship in his eyes.

Hermione may not have been able to think of words to say how much she enjoyed being in Japan, but she could think of many ways of expressing her thoughts about Ron.

His yelp of pain only proved the fact.

"Oh, Ron, honestly! Can't you see how much we've learned? A different culture, a different language, beautiful traditions and living in a new country! I never knew that Asian countries had such different magic! Like Sakura and her cards…" on and on Hermione raved while the other three tuned her out.

"Why can't she just see it for what it was? A vacation for Merlin's sake! There has just _got_ to be an 'educational value' to everything! Bloody mad she is." Ron moaned, while rubbing the side of his head.

The whistle blew and the train began picking up speed, drowning out the voices of the two. When the train traveled more smoothly and the whistle stopped blowing, talking once again resumed.

"Thanks, Sakura. You know, for everything." Harry said quietly, looking out the window, embarrassed.

Melodious laughter reached everyone's ears and Sakura smiled to the three.

"It was no big deal you guys, I have plenty of space. I'm glad all of you enjoyed it. If you want to go to Japan ever again, just tell me and off we go! I mean, it's not like we have to pay anything to get there." She chuckled, fingering the Sakura cards inside of her pockets.

Sakura knew that Harry was thanking her for more then that, and sent a small gesture to say that she had gotten what he tried to get across.

The other two, not noticing what had just transpired, nodded happily with the agreement, excited at the prospect of going to Japan a second, and maybe even a third time.

To them, the Sakura cards were no longer a secret, although the extent of their power has yet still to be revealed.

While Harry was looking out the window blushing about something only he knew of and the two were bickering with each other as usual, Sakura was reliving the moment when the three of them caught her red-handed.

-xx-

_The flash of metal in the dark night could be seen, the soft hisses of sword against sword could be heard..._

_Every night since **that** fateful night, Sakura has been training herself in the arts of self-defense and weapons handling, desperately wishing to never be weak again and to be able to protect what is hers._

_At first, Sakura studied the theory of Jujitsu, Aikido, Kendo and a range of other styles of martial arts._

_Next, she coerced Yue into teaching her the basic stances and drills which she practiced dedicatedly every night. Bruised, tired and worn, she progressed steadily._

_Not only was Sakura powerful magically, but due to her intense training, she built up her stamina, her strength, and thus her body. She had always been athletic, participating in a wide range of sports, which served to only help in her training. _

_The last step of insuring success was to test all her knowledge and gained skills against someone, the Fight._

_More than once has Sakura gained the upper hand and won. However, the stronger Sakura got, the stronger the cards get. And thus began a cycle. _

_After school (Sakura was exempted from club activities, since she joined the Kendo club but was much more advanced than even the teachers), she would train with Yue for a few hours and then fight with her card. _

_Nothing in her routine has changed in the last four years, the only difference was instead of training in a place she magically created in Japan to escape people's notice, she was training in a magical forest to escape the Hogwarts students' notice. _

_The flash of metal in the dark night could be seen, the soft hisses of sword against sword could be heard..._

_Thrust, parry, block._

_Shift stance._

_Arc, parry, thrust, block, block, parry. _

_Shift stance._

_It was a Wednesday night, molding with early Thursday morning. Sakura was training with the Fight, purely swords practice. _

_Sakura wasn't using the Sword card to fight, but one which she had gotten as a gift from Yue. It was a beautiful sword, one that rivaled Excalibur's greatness. It was all silver, from point to hilt. The only exception was the slight zig-zag pattern of lines across the hilt which was a slight blue tinged with pink. _

_Sweat glistened down at the side of her face, both sorceress and magic card slowly losing strength. Once again they exchanged quick blows, dodging and ducking at the last second._

_Her heartbeat at an accelerated pace and breath slightly out of rhythm, she charged at the girl in front of her, speed unbelievably fast. _

_The other girl raised her sword to meet the incoming attack, eyes narrowed desperately looking for weaknesses she knew were non-existent._

_The charger angled her sword to meet the other one, locked on defense, before abruptly spinning behind and twisting in an arc._

_Yet as she twisted, her speed proved to be a second too slow, while the other leapt away on her hands and feet, trying to put distance before them to recover. _

_Both girls narrowed their eyes in concentration. And then, nodding their heads in accepted challenge, both ran with terrifying swiftness, charging at the other._

_What happened in that instant cannot be explained nor understood. The only thing to comprehend was that the mock battle was won by such a small margin of power it was almost hard to believe. _

_The loser of this fight was pleased to note that she lasted much longer than the mock battle of yesterday and dropped heavily on the ground, while the other girl stood, slightly panting at the effort with which it took to fight._

_The winner bowed. _

"_Shall I return back to my card form, mistress?"_

_Sakura still sat resting on the ground, nodding her assent. _

_In a flash of blinding light and unnatural wind, Fight reverted back to her card form and slowly descended towards Sakura, then suddenly disappeared. _

_Sakura stood up slowly, panting at the effort._

"_Mou…I'm so tired…" she mumbled to herself._

_As she stood, she called back the Shield and instantly felt five familiar auras, though two much further away._

_Sakura's eyes widened._

"_Oh **crap**!"_

_**x**_

_Sakura stared nervously at the fire of the Gryffindor common room, anxiously deciding what to tell the three staring at her. _

"_You know," came Harry's voice, laced with shock, anger and betrayal, "you have a lot of explaining to do."_

_Ron and Hermione nodded their heads in agreement, all four of them sitting in large comfy chairs that surrounded the fire. _

_Sakura gave a lengthy sigh, still undecided as to how much to tell them._

_The other female in the room gave a snort._

"_How do we know that you're not a Deatheater? Planted here so you could become close friends with Harry and then stick him in a ditch the first chance you get?" _

_The one which this comment was directed to only rolled her eyes._

"_I thought we were over the whole 'I am a Deatheater in disguise' thing. And besides, if I really wanted to, I don't need to bide my time and could've killed Harry (and any of you really) any time I wanted."_

_She sent a harsh look at Ron, nervous as he was, reaching for his wand inside of his pockets._

"_**Not** that I want to, or am going to."_

"_Oh? And how do we know that? Miss-I-sneak-out-of-the-castle-and-fight-with-things-that-transform-and-disappear-with-deadly-accuracy." _

"_And I suppose Ron," Sakura said in a dry voice, staring mockingly at him, "that you and the rest have never sneaked out before? And anyway, what were_ _**you** doing outside?"_

_Ron had the decency to blush._

"_Ah, well, yeah, you see… We kind of got a detention from McGonagall with Hagrid because…I-we! We! Got a little hungry and decided to have a little midnight snack…"_

_Hermione fixed her fiery brown eyes at the auburn headed girl._

"_Don't turn this on us, Sa-ku-ra, if that is even your real name. We are here to question you, **not** the other way around!"_

"_Yes, my name **is** Sakura, what else would it be? Quasimodo?" She cocked her head to the side derisively._

"_Anyway, fire away, Miss-Holier-Than-Thou-Hermione." Said Sakura, irritated and copying Ron from before._

"_I want to know, who exactly you are, are you a Deatheater, if not what are you, and what you were doing outside."_

_Harry's voice stopped any and all bickering and glaring, it being the first thing he had said for quite a while._

_Sakura dropped the sarcasm and 'witty remarks,' changing into serious mode and ready to face the music, yet still trying to figure out how much to tell them. _

"_I, as you know, am Sakura Kinomoto," with this she sent a glare to Hermione, "15 years old and Japanese born and bred. **No**, I am **not** a Deatheater, I…was sort of sent here to…get you out of trouble if need be. And outside I-I was training with my…cards."_

_Sakura took a deep breath, still uneasy telling them about her true 'mission' and the truth about her powers._

"_Last time I checked, cards don't suddenly transform into humans and have very, very good fighting skills."_

"_Oh you are smart Ron," Sakura's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "if only everyone else was as sharp as you." _

"_Cut it out!" Harry snapped, impatient and wanting to know._

"_He's got a point there though, what are these 'cards' of yours?" Questioned Hermione, reverting back into research mode._

"_I've never heard of any cards that do anything like that. Well, there was that bit about Gwendell Rosalina, but all her cards where charmed to do were to fly about and bite people if they touched things they weren't supposed to. Somehow, I don't quite think that's what yours are like…"_

_Sakura stared at Hermione as she mumbled on about some witch. _

_Harry cleared his throat, getting increasingly impatient, while Ron was getting irritated (relaxed a bit after Sakura denied being a Deatheater, although still suspicious) at Hermione and her incessant ramblings._

_Sakura only shook her head and continued on with her explanation._

"_First thing you should know about me is that I am not a witch."_

_That one single sentence forced Hermione to focus back on the topic at hand._

"_Impossible! You cannot **not** be a witch! Obviously you are not a muggle, else why would you be here? And we've **seen** you perform spells with your wand…"_

_Hermione still kept talking, listing things off as to reasons why she couldn't not be a witch. _

_Sakura sighed once again in irritation, speaking and cutting off Hermione's ramblings._

"_I said I'm not a witch, I didn't say I don't have magic! I am a** sorceress**_ _and-"_

"_Once again, impossible! Only the highest of rank, the most elite of wizards and witches and those voted by the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards can take the name of Sorcerer or Sorceress for themselves. I hardly believe that you are on the same level as Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel becau-" _

"_Hermione let her speak!"_

_The girl instantly shut her mouth, scowling at the way she was being spoken to._

"_Thank you Ron." Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples. _I seem to be sighing a lot, _she mused._

"_As I was saying, I am a sorceress and I have a different type of magic from you, although I can still wield your type of magic. The Eastern and Western civilization have completely different types of magic, the Eastern being much higher in power." _

_Hermione once again opened her mouth and Sakura rushed on before she could speak. _

"_But the difference in power is balanced out by the population. That is why you have never heard of us, except maybe in myths or legends. Our population is dwindling as we speak, or so a…friend has told me. I have only ever been in contact with two sorcerers apart from myself, but they have explained to me that our 'race' is rather reclusive, preferring to stick to ourselves rather than mingle with witches and wizards."_

"_Sounds rather like the Malfoy's and their fetish of pure-bloodism." _

_Hermione's eye twitched._

"_Honestly Ron, bloodism? If you absolutely insist in making up words of your fancy, make **better **ones!"_

_Harry sighed in exasperation. _

"_Go on, please. And ignore those two dunderheads."_

_Hermione sniffed and crossed her arms, while Ron glared at being called a dunderhead._

_Sakura suppressed a smile. _

"_Our…race, knows about the Wizarding world, or at least I'm pretty sure they do. And we also have adapted to the 'muggle' as you call it, way of living. I actually…" Sakura blushed, "never had any formal training about anything really. What I know of is what my…friend taught me."_

"_So, you're really a sorceress, you have different magic (much more powerful at that) and you can wield our type of magic, right?" Ron asked, taking a long time processing all the right information. _

_Hermione again snorted and began mumbling under her breath._

"_But you still haven't answered all our questions. Exactly what are these cards?" _

_Sakura sighed, fiddling with her thumbs._

"_That, Harry, is a long story…"_

_And so our heroine began to tell the long tale of the wise and all powerful magician, Clow Reed and how he combined the Eastern and Western magic to create one of the strongest forces of power on earth._

_She then began to talk of how she came to possess said power, but left out unimportant details (to the dream team anyway). _

"_Okay, so when you were 10 years old, you suddenly found yourself down a basement releasing the 'most powerful force on earth,' started capturing the cards that the most powerful magician, Clow Reed, created, passed this Final Judgment (that you had to go through twice), and then, amidst the most powerful giant stuffed toys some guy created, you changed said cards and made them into 'Sakura cards.' Am I right?" _

_Sakura stared at the red-head and his over use of 'the most powerful.' _

"_You know, I just love the way you summarize everything I say," She rolled her eyes again, "but, aside from that, yes."_

_Ron squeaked and managed an 'Oh good.'_

"_You said that you had a staff to capture the cards, right? Then, when those two cards disappeared, how come you didn't have to get your staff out, or say an incantation?"_

_Sakura gave a slow smile of satisfaction._

"_Good observation Harry. That, is because I…put myself through some training, to develop my powers onto a higher level. I have developed it so much that I don't need to use my staff or even say an incantation to release and order the cards. Spiffy, eh?"_

_All three (surprisingly even Hermione), nodded their heads at the explanation as everything starting to become clearer._

"_These cards…would-would they have the power to…almost…train you in your dreams?"_

_Harry was reluctant to ask, never telling anyone about his dreams._

_Hermione looked up sharply._

"_What dreams? Harry you never told us about any dreams after last year. Were they also about You-Know-"_

_She was cut off abruptly with a shake of his head and a small 'no.'_

"_You're learning. Yes, those dreams are caused by my cards and I."_

"_But, why train me in my dreams? Also, why have you never revealed yourself to me before? Why couldn't you just have taken me out and train me when I'm awake? And, why do you even train me?"_

_Sakura gave a slight shrug._

"_Well, I didn't want you to know it was me, I kind of wanted to get to know you through my own merits and not because I'm training you. Why I am doing so should be obvious. Harry, you're a wonderful person and a great wizard, but there are some skills that you're lacking. I am training you, as you know, because there will come a time when you shall face a great evil and the world…is a burden you must carry."_

_The meaning behind that simple statement was not lost to anyone. It was a while before they said anything, the stillness of the night blending into early morning reigned the room. The soft crackles of the dying fire could be heard amidst the low breathing._

_Harry breathed out a lengthy gust of air, and spoke three words that made everything in the room less tensed._

"_I believe you."_

_-xx-_

"Anyway, I'm a little bit concerned about our N.E.W.T's. I don't know if I've studied enough. I heard about the exam and people said it was a killer!"

Hermione's voice cut through Sakura's memories like a knife.

"Hermione, N.E.W.T's are still next year, just relax a little and study as much as you can while still having fun."

"Harry! You cannot take these exams with that kind of…of...carefree attitude! Besides, no one can be friends with you and not have the most fun of their lives."

Ron gave a hearty chuckle.

"That's true mate, I mean, our adventures may have been deadly, but they've been the best moments of my life!"

Harry blushed madly and grinned while Sakura gave a smile of contentment.

And so the hours passed in the same fashion, the food-trolley came and went and the boys were thrown out so the girls could change and vice-versa.

At last, the time came when the train ended and came to the last stop on their one way journey.

To Hogwarts once again.

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Hmm… so… please review, constructive criticism greatly appreciated and flames will be probably ignored.

Oh; and I still have trouble deciding; who should end up with who? Sakura and Syaoran? Or Harry and Sakura? What about the other characters? Personal opinion, again, greatly appreciated!

Thank you ever so much- .conjectured.


	2. Obsidian Moon

Hey you guys! I updated –grins- Thanks for reviewing!

!!- shinujigoku

!!- ilovestrawberries

!!- Totally Kawaii

!!- dbzgtfan2004

!!- Hoshiko Megami

I totally dedicate this chapter to you, and there _will_ be some S and S moments here, whoo! Err…well…sort of. Oh yeah; and everything is canon from book one to four. You guys will find out in the next chapter or so just how much of book five, The Order of the Phoenix, is in my story. I changed a bit to suit my tastes, are some authors are wont to do. PLEASE read and review; thank you –grins even more widely- .conjectured.

Disclaimer again: I do NOT own Harry Potter and things associated with him, just like I don't own Card captor Sakura and all things associated.

(This will be the last time I put a disclaimer up, I'm too lazy -.-)

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"**_Pure;_**

_**Obsidian" **_

_**(Chapter)**_

_**2**_

**Obsidian;**

**Moon..**

She stared into the white shining eyes of the strange creature. Its symbol, the thing it represents, is so very different to what it actually is. Gentle-natured creatures they are, yet somehow something went horribly wrong, and no-one but those who've witnessed death could see them. Thestrals, they were called, she remembered. The jumble of noise and people whirled around the solitary girl and the creature, until both blocked it out, lost in the other's intriguing eyes. Gentle though they are, when provoked, they will attack. Rather like Griffin's almost, she mused. She ran her eye along its black, skeletal body, and studied its almost dragon-like face. Its huge wings twitched and its tail swished side to side.

"Sakura!" Cried a voice. "Where are you? We need to get a carriage before they all get filled up!" Other voices joined the first.

"Hey, where are you?"

"We might leave you behind if you don't come out!"

One of the other Gryffindor students, (Dean Thomas it was) pointed to the girl seemingly staring at nothing. Ron and Hermione ran up to the girl, glad that they had found her and that she already had a carriage. But Harry, the moment Dean pointed to her, just stopped and watched her, and the Thestral. Thoughts sped around his head, she can see it? He asked himself, who did she see die? Why has she never told us? He was broken out of his trance when he saw Hermione shake Sakura. Then all three turned and waved to Harry, beckoning him to come inside the carriage. He shook the last of his thoughts away and jogged to the carriage and climbed inside. But once everything settled down, he found his mind returning to the previous questions.

"You know, I still find it hard to believe that Thestrals are the 'invisible' creatures that draw these carriages." Hermione murmured, looking outside the window where it had begun raining lightly.

"Yeah, bit freaky about the whole 'see death, see Thestrals' thing. Blimey, I don't ever want to see a Thestral." Ron commented.

"Be thankful that you can't." said Sakura, concentrating hard on her shoe, bangs covering her eyes.

"Sakura, you can…?" Harry hesitated, not wanting to finish the question.

Sakura nodded slowly and jerkily.

Silence and anxiousness descended over them like a thick, warm blanket, each wondering their own thoughts. Sakura lifted her head to stare out of the carriage window, just remembering. Harry, seeing past Ron's head, just above his shoulder, could see flashes of memories from his past, desperately wanting to erase them. Hermione, mouth slightly agape, flitted her eyes between Sakura and Harry, thinking of this connection they had. And Ron had shut his eyes, heavily disliking the tense atmosphere.

"You know," Ron said huskily, licking his lips trying to get rid of the dryness, "I don't think we saw Hagrid when we got off the train."

The other passengers ignored him, all knowing what he was trying to do. He then lifted his head and opened his eyes.

"Ah, lo-look at this rain. When we went to Japan it b-barely rained. I really liked your ho-house, Sakura. Though I was kind of wondering that we never g-got to meet…" Ron trailed off uncertainly. He might have been as thick as a block, but no one could have missed the clenching of Sakura's fist and the taut expression on her face.

"A-ah…"

The carriage had suddenly come to a stop near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors, abruptly shaking its passengers. Ron squeaked out a 'we're here' and promptly scrambled out of the carriage, wanting to do everything he could to get away and breathe fresh air. The remaining three had stepped out of the carriage slowly, taking their time. They could hear laughter, soft whisperings and the noisy movements of other students and carriages. The two, Harry and Sakura, looked up to the castle, genuine care-free smiles lighting their faces. To Harry, the moment he had looked towards Hogwarts, he knew it would be his true home. For Sakura, after only a year of attending the school, she felt as if she belonged there, a place that she had come to love, somewhere that had not left any scars of pain eternally etched in her heart. Yet, she thought grimly. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. What will come, will come. Just make sure we all study hard and have fun…Then we'll all be fine, Sakura said to herself. "Zettai daijoubu dayo!" Sakura murmured out loud, slipping back into her native tongue.

All the students (except for the newly appointed first years) walked inside the brightly lit Entrance Hall and proceeded through the double doors to their right that led to the Great Hall and consequently, the start-of-term feast. Before the four stepped into the hall however, Professor McGonagall stopped them and requested that Ms. Kinomoto follow. Sakura exchanged confused glances with the other three before nodding and following the professor. Ron called to her, 'we'll save you a seat,' then, with the two beside him, walked to the Great Hall and secured four places at the Gryffindor table.

**x**

"Ice Mice." The witch declared, to the stone gargoyle that stood guard in front of Albus Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle immediately sprang aside to reveal a wall that split into two, exposing a spiral stone staircase that moved like an escalator. It rose up gradually, ending up in front of a highly polished oak door, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. The door opened itself and invited the visitors to come in. For the second time, Sakura found herself gazing fascinated at the Headmaster's office. The beautiful circular room, covered in many odd things distracted Sakura so much, that she only felt a presence behind her before a body came in contact with hers. Startled, Sakura stumbled backwards a few steps, uncomfortable with, she realized, a sobbing girl clinging desperately onto her.

At once Sakura realized who it was and exclaimed, "Tomoyo?!" The girl in her arms nodded, then tilted her head to face Sakura. "Sakura, I really missed you. I heard you were in Japan recently, but you never visited me! Why? Why didn't you?" Tomoyo began shaking even more so, wanting to- no, needing to know why Sakura didn't think her important enough to visit. She knew however, that because of that night a few years ago, she had been purposefully distancing herself from other people, barely going out with anyone. Sakura herself let slip a few tears before leading her to where she saw some chairs and sat down. She explained that she hadn't wanted to see anyone connected to Japan on a regular basis, that she felt as if she was unworthy to look them in the eye. That's why she kept to herself, and one of the reasons why she accepted to look over Harry Potter. Tomoyo nodded her head in understanding, sorrow lined her face. After the explanations were over, they veered to other topics such as, 'oh yeah, Chiharu and Yamazaki are now together' or, 'Rika and Terada-sensei's wedding will be next year' chatting happily and unknowingly slipping into Japanese.

Professor McGonagall let out a satisfied smile as she watched the two talking cheerfully. It was true that, at the beginning of the year, she had held some doubts and sincere misgivings. But Sakura proved them to be useless and made her worthy of the professor's respects. She was quite content on letting them catch up, but suddenly remembered that she had a feast to attend. She waved her wand and two plates of food (charmed to re-fill) appeared on Professor Dumbledore's desk. She gently cleared her throat, catching the attention of the other two. They looked up and blushed, embarrassed at having forgotten Professor McGonagall's presence.

"I know that you girls have a lot of catching up to do, but I must attend the start-of-term feast. I shall leave you here with some dinner," she motioned to the desk, "while I go to the feast. Professor Dumbledore would like to talk about the arrangements of Ms. Daidouji afterwards, and he will explain to you, Ms. Kinomoto, the how to the why of Ms. Daidouji being here. I need to see to the transfer students, Professor Snape has no doubt already led the first years to the Sorting Hat ceremony. I shall take my leave now." And with that, the professor left through the door, intent on arriving in the Great Hall the fastest time possible.

"I wonder who the transfer students are." Sakura thought aloud, while Tomoyo began eating daintily. Sakura glowed warmly at the girl beside her, before realizing how hungry she was.

**x**

"Sakura's still not back, she's going to miss the feast!"

"Ron, ssh!" Hermione berated him, while she, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor's clapped politely as Yale, Leon was sorted.

After the last shouts of Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood up to make a speech. Loud murmurs and gasps of shock spread throughout the hall as the great wizard raised his arms, exposing his blackened hand.

"Welcome our new students, and welcome back, to those of old. Usually I would wait until we have all fed and watered, I know how hard it is to concentrate with our tummy's rumbling." ("Too right," mumbled Ron under his breath.) "But I have one quick announcement to make before we begin to devour our lovely feast. As everyone can recall, last year we had a transfer student by the name of Sakura Kinomoto. This year, we shall have another two joining us, enrolled both for sixth year, and perhaps one more will join later. We shall also be having us a guest, but she will be introduced tomorrow at breakfast." At this, the door opened revealing Professor McGonagall and two boys that were fairly tall.

One of them had beautiful dark hair that, in the right angle, appeared to have an amazing hue of blue. He wore stylish glasses that made him appear older and more mature, and a sense of mystery seemed to cloud about him. His eyes were a gorgeous shade lighter than azure, twinkling mischievously in the firelight. The way he held himself exuded grace and oozed out confidence. There was something about him that made people naturally wary, but made eyes attracted to him all the same.

The other boy was a sharp contrast to him. He had fiery amber eyes and stylishly messy chocolate hair. His face bore no smirk, but a light frown instead. He stood tall and upright, proud and confident of himself, giving out an aura that only born leaders could have. His face was set in a determined expression, one of those people that always got up and continued no matter how hopeless it seemed. His intensity and above average looks made people take a second look.

Harry was extremely puzzled and asked Hermione, "Why isn't Sakura back yet?" Hermione could only shrug, clueless and interested in the new students.

"Ah, yes, here we are, they have already been sorted prior to the feast. Eriol Hiiragizawa," the boy with glasses stepped forward and smiled charmingly, "is as of now, a member of Ravenclaw." The said house burst into applause, pleased to have such a newcomer. Eriol immediately walked towards the table to become acquainted to the house that was to be his family inside of Hogwarts. "And this here," Dumbledore continued, motioning to the stoic boy after the clapping died down, "is Syaoran Li. He shall be joining Gryffindor." Syaoran walked brusquely towards the table that clapped quite uncertainly (except for a couple of girls who were glad to have an exceptionally handsome boy in their house).

Ron quietly whispered to Hermione and Harry, "Blimey, I thought for sure he'd be in Slytherin!" The other two could only nod.

"And now, without further ado, good eatings to all!"

With a wave of his hand, food had appeared from nowhere, so that the five tables groaned under chops and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread and sauces and pitchers of pumpkin juice.

Students and teachers immediately began to dig in, piling deliciously cooked food onto their plates. But no one ate like Ron. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, he took turns biting from the other. Mouth filled to the brim, he laid down one chicken and began to laden his plate from steak and kidney pie to mashed potatoes drowning in gravy. Hermione scrunched her face in disgust, wisely opting not to say anything, knowing it will be of no use. Harry had begun eating at a much more sedate pace, though wondering where Sakura went off to.

"Mmm…Dishish sho gewd!" Ron proclaimed, bits of kidney pie flicking everywhere. Hermione crinkled her nose, watching in abhorrence at the way he was behaving.

"Oh, honestly! You eat like you've been starved for about a thousand years!"

Words of appreciation could be heard echoed around the school, students and staff (not so much as Professor Snape, who was eating with cold indifference, slightly wincing in pain) alike happy to be back. As the clinks and clatters of the eating utensils died down to a much more peaceful manner, having eaten their fill, Professor Dumbledore rose again.

"Just a few more moments before we can retire. As you know, there will be dark times ahead of us, now that Voldemort," a few students squeaked, while most trembled, "is out in the open. I have decided to inform you all truthfully of the happenings of the Dark Lord. I feel that it would not do to cover this all up as if it had never happened. In troubled times such as these, I must once again implore you the importance of school unity. Friends must stick to each other, especially during these days." A few snorted at the sheer absurdity of being friends with a Slytherin. Dumbledore had a very somber expression on his face, clearly conveying to the students how serious it was. The moment vanished however, the somber look replaced once again by the familiar twinkle in his cerulean eyes.

"On to less frightening matters. Just as is last year, and the year before, and in fact, all the years since Hogwarts was established, the Forbidden Forest is to remain as the name suggests, forbidden. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has also specified that all things created and bought from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes are to be confiscated immediately." This announcement was met with a few snickers. "It is now late and many of you will be worn and tired from the journey to Hogwarts. Off to the dorms with you, I request that Harry Potter from Gryffindor, Terry Boot from Ravenclaw and the transfer students to remain behind. Let us finish with our school song as is our tradition. Pick your own tune and off we go!"

The students sang to their own tunes wonderfully, creating a deafening cacophony of noise, although it lacked the luster it usually had with the Weasley twin's now attending to their own business. At last, the last of the students wore down, eager to be off to bed.

"Oi! You little shrimps of Gryffindor!" Yelled Ron, gathering their attention just as he planned. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "Ron," she hissed, "we talked about this last year! Call them first years!" Ron sniffed the air in defiance, "you told me not to call the midgets (even though they are…), and I'm not! I called them shrimps!" Hermione let out a noise of frustration, dedicating her attention instead to the first years they were meant to lead to the common room.

**x**

The four students of the two houses approached the Headmaster, while the other teachers left to their own dorms. The Headmaster nodded to them and smiled. "Ah, yes, Mr. Potter and Mr. Boot. May I ask a favor of you and show Mr.'s. Li and Hiiragizawa around Hogwarts respectively? The castle, after all, is very big and we cannot afford to lose our students because we did not guide them properly." Both Harry and Terry nodded in acceptance, interested in the new students and thought it a good way to get to know them.

"Well, now that is sorted, I bid you all a goodnight." Professor Dumbledore smiled to each, and began to turn to the direction of his office. But before he could take a step further, Harry interrupted him.

"Professor I," Harry cleared his throat, nervous as he could feel the other three boys' eyes on him. "I was wondering where Sakura is? You know, the transfer student from last year." From behind, he had heard a small, indiscernible intake of breath, but put it out of his mind, eager to know Sakura's location. Dumbledore chuckled, pleased to know that Harry was opening up to the young woman. He knew that they've both been through hard times, though what had happened to Sakura he couldn't fathom, and thought that they'd both benefit from their friendship.

"Ms. Kinomoto," once again Harry heard a small gasp, barely audible, "is currently up in my office attending to our special guest. If that is all…?" Satisfied, Harry nodded and looked to Syaoran Li, the student he needed to escort. The professor had already walked off to his office, leaving them to their own devices. The Golden Boy smiled to Li, a gesture of friendship evident. The transfer student looked at him straight in the eye, as if trying to find something in the deep recesses of his soul.

The blue-haired boy, Hiiragizawa remembered Harry, said something in a foreign language before turning to Terry and Harry, smiling enigmatically. Harry's skin prickled slightly at the look, while Terry thoughtful.

"Pleased to make your acquaintances, Terry and Harry. May I call you that?" Eriol commanded the English language well, even the slight accent tinged his voice, credited to the fact that he was British and had born and lived there.

Again Terry and Harry nodded. "If we can call you Eriol and…?" The boy from Rowena's house trailed off, unsure at the look of the chocolate haired boy's face. Eriol just chuckled. "Yes, anyone is free to call me Eriol. Though I believe that the right of calling Syaoran by his first name is reserved only by close friends and family. He goes by Li." Said boy looked disgruntled, his patience wearing thin.

Terry identified the look right, but thought of the wrong reason. "You must be tired. Harry and I will show you the way." Eriol nodded, sending an amused glance to his dear descendant. He sent an irritated and accusing look back and everyone could tell he was very high-strung. Harry too was tired. Knowing that Sakura was safe, he just wanted to go to bed. The four said their good night's and marched off to the directions of their dorms. Unbeknownst to Harry and Terry, Syaoran left a trail of his aura behind, having every intention of coming back to the Great Hall after he could shake off the boy leading him. Eriol could only smirk.

**x**

"I am sorry for the long wait." The wise wizard announced, smiling heartily at them.

"No, not at all Professor Dumbledore, it gave me the chance of catching up with my precious Sakura!"

The Cardcaptor could only blush slightly under Tomoyo's praise. Albus chuckled, once again glad he decided to let Tomoyo come to Hogwarts, as he could already see the immediate effects her presence made to the other girl. He thought that Sakura was too stressed out from the wild goings-on late last year, and decided that he needed to do something to relieve her of some of her stress. When the opportunity presented itself in the form of Ms. Daidouji, Dumbledore was hardly a man to refuse. He coughed slightly, catching the attention of the ladies before him.

Sakura shot her Headmaster an inquiring look, questions unanswered clouding her mind.

"Now, I think it is time that Ms. Kinomoto has an explanation about the situation." Sakura could only nod, dumbfounded, while Tomoyo smiled happily. "I am aware that Ms. Daidouji possesses no trace of magic, even though she has become a little resistant to the most minor of magic due to prolonged exposure to it, she will never be able to wield it." At this, Tomoyo sighed, resigned to the fact that she could not have any.

"Nevertheless, Ms. Kinomoto, do you remember the time I had come to check up on you in Japan? I had wanted to see how all four of you fared, when I chanced along Ms. Daidouji. I remember that we were inside a shop and I was having a bit of a dilemma." The raven-haired girl could only giggle, knowing what he was having a dilemma over. "You see, there were so many sweets in that store and I only had enough money for a few. I could not, for my life, decide which ones to purchase." Sakura could only smile, knowing the wizard's love of sweets, especially muggle confectionary. "The lady who is currently seated before me, made some very helpful recommendations. Which, I must say, tasted delicious! Never had I found something as delectable as that candy! Although," the powerful wizard frowned, "nothing can beat my sherbet lemons. Oh, how silly of me, I am getting forgetful in my old age. Sherbet lemon?"

Both the girls laughed appreciatively, but shook their heads no. "Moving on, as I said, Ms. Daidouji had helped me graciously, so I decided to ask her for directions to your house. This led to the conclusion that she is a very close friend of yours," he tilted his head slightly to Sakura, "and a sudden realization came upon me. This was, surely, the friend who kept an avid watch over your struggles to be a Cardcaptor. Your descriptions of her were very apt after all. So, I decided to test my theory and came up positive. Seeing as she already knew the existence of magic, I made a proposal to her. She had already told me of how she longed for contact with you, and so I offered her to stay with us at Hogwarts for a duration of one month."

Sakura was glad, hardly daring to believe her ears. Before coming here to Hogwarts, she had distanced herself with everyone close to her. As she befriended Harry, Ron and Hermione, she realized the value of friendship, and wished more then ever to be with Tomoyo. But even when they went to Japan for a holiday, Sakura had been too ashamed and feared rejection. Gratitude showed through her eyes, not needing to say a word.

"As a guest Ms. Daidouji, you need not attend classes, but may do so if you wish. Also, we have prepared a room for your stay. I would have you be with Sakura but you are not a student and therefore can not." Tomoyo and Sakura nodded happily, not caring in the least. "It is getting late, we should be off to our own beds." Dumbledore handed a slip of paper to Sakura. "This is just a note excusing you from being out this late should you come across any teacher or otherwise. Ms. Daidouji can be shown the school grounds by Ms. Sakura tomorrow. However, I must warn you both of the wrath that this may bring to the more of the traditional students. Always be cautious. Well, I think that is all. Goodnight Ms. Sakura. Ms. Daidouji if you will?"

The three said their goodnights, off on their own directions with Dumbledore leading the non-magical girl to the room which she will reside. Sakura was extremely giddy at the prospect of having Tomoyo's company for a month. At Hogwarts no less! She walked quickly, smiling to herself and approaching the big oak doors of the Great Hall. As Sakura reached out to open it by either physical or magical means, she stopped, dead still. She felt an aura, not noticing before as she had been distracted. It was very familiar somehow.

It felt of…waves crashing against rocks, for strength…Forests of old, for wilderness…Cold hard steel, for a mask… It had changed, before it had never felt like this. Matured and powered, but loss and strength through ordeals showed. Sakura could almost sense the color…blue? No, no it is…green. Yes, green it is. She gasped, body numb, heart beating painfully against her chest. It had been almost six years. Almost six years since she had felt this aura. She knew who it was now, clear as daylight.

"Syaoran…"

The doors opened, pushed by the boy's magic. It was then and there, that they laid eyes on each other for the first time in many long years between them. Syaoran could barely suppress his surprise at the woman before him. She had grown up, he thought; as if she saw the world through…He couldn't describe what he was feeling. As for Sakura, after the first waves of shock started to disappear, she could only gape at him in disbelief.

"Sakura…let's talk. Is there a place we can do that?"

"And talk about what, Li? Besides, we can talk here as well as any other place."

The use of his last name cut him deeply. He had given her the right to call him by his first name, despite it being years ago.

"It's Syaoran."

"What?"

"Syaoran, my name. Use it."

Sakura looked at him strangely, surprised, before nodding. The situation between them was awkward, not quite knowing where they stood with each other. On one hand, as ten year-olds, they shared an experience most never do, and fell deeply in love because of it. Despite them being so young. On the other, it had been years since they saw each other last, not having any contact, Syaoran being forbidden with outside communication. Sakura sighed and acquiesced. She turned back around to the Entrance Hall, making a small gesture of follow-me. Syaoran walked behind her, both covered in silence. They walked down the steps of the castle and stopped only when they reached the lake. Sakura sat down against a tree, while Syaoran remained standing not too far.

"And so," Sakura's voice pierced through the silence, "what did you want to talk about?"

Syaoran fiddled, a little bit uncomfortable with Sakura's attitude. This isn't what he imagined it would be like when he thought about finally being reunited with her. Not at all.

"How have you been?"

He thought it best to start out with the general questions, as they were the easiest and didn't touch on any personal grounds. Sakura smiled, she knew he was nervous, just like her. She also knew that he was a little uncomfortable at the moment. After all, no one could read Syaoran better than she.

"I've been…good. Better, now that I've been attending Hogwarts. And you?"

"Yes, yes. I am too."

"And your training? You're finished? I find it hard to believe you're out communicating with people."

Syaoran winced, knowing it was a barb against him for not writing or corresponding with her in anyway for the past years.

"Sakura…I-I… you know that the elders had forbidden me to communicate with anyone outside of the Li household. Please, you've got to understand!"

Sakura looked at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She softened a little.

"It's okay. I know. You had your duty and you had no choice but to obey. I understand, truly."

He let out a sigh of relief, glad.

"So? Why, of all the special trainers or whatnot you have, did you choose to come to Hogwarts?"

Syaoran shrugged.

"Like you said, it is my duty and I have no choice but to obey. My sister, Fuutie, had a vision concerning this school. She recently developed these powers, and from it she can see one possibility of the future. She also reported that if something is not changed, then it will become a very big possibility."

Sakura nodded her head, recalling Syaoran's sister Fuutie, one of the four sisters he had. After hearing his explanation she frowned. Sakura also had the gift of forewarning and of Seeing, so why had she not heard anything that would concern the sorcerers? Surely the war with Voldemort is not so big as to affect the sorcerer's society?

"What was the vision about?"

The boy drew in a gusty breath of air and told her.

"Fuutie says that not all of the details were clear. A fearful man named Voldemort would gain a power far greater than ours. If things are left as it is…then, she says, the world would be torn apart."

Sakura widened her eyes in shock. Surely, surely it would not come true. I will make sure it won't, Sakura thought determinedly, clenching her fists so tight she began to withdraw blood.

"When did she have this vision? Just a couple of months?"

"No…around two years ago."

"What?!" Sakura couldn't believe it. Two years ago. 5 seconds is all it takes to kill someone, and here they had a warning for two years, and they did not do a thing all the while. "If what you said is to be true, then why did you just sit idle and let it happen?! You practically sent people to their deathbeds!"

Syaoran looked down to the ground, grimacing in shame.

"That…that's the problem. The elders do not know everything after all. When they had learned that the man spoken of was a wizard, they couldn't believe that he would have a power to overcome them, us. A wizard, they said, will never have enough to defeat the weakest of us. They are too prejudiced to appreciate the power that some might hold. As apparently this Voldemort does."

Sakura's body was trembling in rage, and in fear. Rage at the elders for failing to meet a great Seer's vision, and rage at Voldemort for all the death he creates. And she feared that she was too late to do anything.

Syaoran looked up and saw Sakura trembling. He could feel the emotions roll off her, her waves of fear and rage mixing together.

"S-Sakura? Don't be so afraid, I'll be here with you every step of the way from now on."

"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of anything!"

She looked up to stare at Syaoran, fire burning in her eyes. He looked down to the side, and whispered, "everyone's afraid of something…"

"Oh yeah, then what are you afraid of?"

They both looked up and locked eyes.

"I'm scared of waking up one day and finding everything in ruins. But I know that will not happen, because I will do everything I can to stop it with my own two hands."

Sakura nodded, weary. Syaoran knew that what she would say next would be very important, for her and for him. He sat down on the ground.

"You're right," she whispered, voice adopting a soft tone, hiding pain that she felt, "I fear…many things. Like death for one."

He squinted at her, confused.

"You are scared to die?"

She shook her head lightly. The air between them slightly got darker, tension flowing.

"No...no, that isn't true. What I am scared most of is, is to see my friend's and family die. To see their haunted faces, the sorrow imprinted in their cold, lifeless eyes. I fear blood being spilled, the crimson colored liquid that brings life. I fear the weapons used, to steal the soul of others, used to bring pain and to destroy hope. I fear the people, people who control those weapons that wish nothing but death on every living being on Earth. I fear of one day losing my soul underneath the pressure and the desolation. The world has beautiful things present, but it hides so much more. It hides the reeking death, the poverty, all the ugliness it has to offer. After being disillusioned, after seeing and recognizing the ugly things, I have yet to find the beautiful ones. I fear...of being too late. Too late to prevent anymore of the kind happening."

Syaoran was shocked. He could not believe that this is the Sakura he had known back then. Where had the determined, cheerful little girl that always seemed to find a way to get through the worst of days, go?

"It's not Sakura! It's not too late. That is why we here. To stop that from happening anymore, to stop Voldemort and his Deatheaters murdering people for their own psychotic gain!"

His voice cracked.

"And I fear," she continued on, as if he had never interrupted, "I fear that there really is nothing we can do. I fear...of losing hope."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"You've changed so much, Sakura." Syaoran whispered. "The Sakura I know would never talk like that. She would smile that smile of hers, filled with determination. She would never give up. _Never._"

Sakura sighed and walked lightly towards him, kneeling at the base of where he sat. She looked into his eyes while lifting her hand and gently placed it on his right cheek.

He blushed at the contact.

"Syaoran…if you've seen what I've seen," she whispered, eyes etched with pain, "and did what I had done…things come with a price, and for me that was…"

She trailed off, seemingly gazing at something, eyes seeing something only she knew of. Sakura softly shook her head, breaking out of what held her.

"Sakura…"

She craned her neck and kissed him soundly on the forehead and began to walk away. Sakura paused after a few meters.

"What I had done, what I had seen…I did it, at the cost of my innocence."

With that she kept on walking, all the while fighting to hide her tears.

Syaoran watched her, distance making her figure appear smaller, until she disappeared inside the huge castle of where they temporarily resided.

He clutched at the grass, desperately wanting to know what had happened, and desperately wanting her to confide in him, to depend on him, to trust him, to…love him.

And not for the first time, he wished he had never left her.

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R&R please; .conjectured.


	3. Obsidian Glass

**Hi all!** Aren't you all glad I updated? cringes at the sudden silence Ehehe… Well, all thank _**Totally Kawaii**_! If not for her, this chapter probably wouldn't have been out till, another 2 weeks or so. So, thank you for encouraging me to finish this chapter!

This goes out to all of you who read this story! Especially the reviewers:

-Miss-Understood -yumeniai -pyscho-pyro-shrink -sdsds

-Hoshiko Megami -rhymneyfaries -Darkened Purity -WezL

-cheerysakura88 -shinujigoku -ilovestrawberries

**I would also like to say a BIG thank you to: ****Queen of the Paperclips**** for pointing out my mistake in this chapter. **

And worry not, my other story will be updated soon, too, I hope.

OK, so _this_ is the last disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Wizarding World all belong rightfully to one, J.K Rowling, a woman with a beautiful mind. And to Cardcaptor Sakura and the gang, they belong to the brilliant and wonderful CLAMP! Anyway, on to the story!

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"_**Pure;**_

_**Obsidian" **_

_**(Chapter)**_

_**3**_

**Obsidian;**

**Glass.**

It was a while before Sakura could get to sleep. Every time she tried to sleep in her bed, every time she closed her eyes, she saw images. Flashes of what had been; flashes of her and Syaoran, flashes of her family, flashes of cold, lifeless bodies…

Tears dripped down from Sakura's tightly closed eyes, wishing desperately that the images would go away and that she would succumb into peaceful sleep. She tried picturing the Cherry blossoms in the spring, but the beautiful pink petals deepened into a light, ruby-red. The color of freshly spilt blood. Her hand clenched around her blanket. From very, very far away it seemed, she could hear Hermione fidget in restlessness along with the light snores of Parvati and Lavender.

Next, she tried recalling a memory of her, Harry, Hermione and Ron when they went to a picnic at the lake. They had gotten food provided by the house elves and had one of the happiest moments of their lives. But day suddenly turned into night, and the other three turned into faceless figures that melded to one. The figure stood towering over her, exuding such an aura of utter fury that his mind threatened to fall down into the brinks of insanity…

The cards glowed slightly, softly, feeling their mistress' distress. Sakura tossed and turned, sweat multiplying on her upper lip. One of the cards -The Dream- slipped stealthily away from the book and out of the trunk, floating gently but with a sense of urgency, until it stopped in front of its mistress. A light, gentle glow surrounded the card; a small tendril of misty fog spread out and encased the still struggling girl. She had somehow fallen in a deep fitful sleep, the nightmare claiming its hold on her.

Sakura suddenly glowed pink and stilled. Dream had eradicated the nightmares, replacing them instead with joyous times. Finally calm, her breathing became regular, her body cooled down, and she was left into a restful slumber…

**[x**

All the students sat inside the Great Hall, the ceiling shining brightly with the sunlight, the clatter and flocks of owls searching for the person who their letter was to be delivered to. Hermione took out a Knut and gave it to the grey bird that landed in front of her.

"You're still taking the _Daily Prophet_ subscription, then?" Harry asked with an indignant expression on his face.

"Of course. Remember what I said last year, we need to know what the enemy is saying." Hermione replied, while her eyes skimmed through the paper.

"So? What's it say?" asked Ron, reaching over to grab a plate of bacon.

"Barely anything," Hermione said, folding it up. "Only the certified…deaths. And even then that was kept to a bare minimum. They're still trying to keep Voldemort – oh Ron, really - quiet, not wanting to look bad in front of the public."

Sakura snorted. "But at least the minister has finally been replaced, ne? Everyone knows that Fudge person didn't deserve to be the minister. It still shocks me to think that such a human was able to become the minister, even with the Headmaster's help." Hermione bristled at the thought.

"Yes, well, Rufus Scrimgeour _was _an Auror. In fact, he was even the head of the Auror department. I believe that he will be far more competent than Fudge."

"Yeah, Fudge will always be a lousy, good-for-nothing git." Ron mumbled underneath his breath.

As they were talking, Harry noticed the youngest Weasley coming towards where they sat and called out a greeting. The girl smiled as she sat next to Sakura and greeted everyone with a "Morning."

"Good morning, Ginny!" Beamed the emerald eyed female. "It feels like I haven't talked to you in ages!" The red-head laughed. "Yes, while you were all gallivanting about Japan, _I _had to stay home." Sakura nodded sadly, then brightened. "Don't worry! Next time you'll definitely come with us. In fact, why not bring the whole Weasley family, ne?"

Throughout their conversation, Professor Dumbledore stood up. Though the students were still eating, their talking decreased in show of respect.

"Good morning students! As always, the first day of schooling begins. Eat well and work hard! Now, I had forgotten to tell you a few things last night. I must be getting forgetful in my old age! (Ron snorted.) First thing's first, Quidditch tryouts shall be decided by the captains, so please owl me at the soonest convenience…"

"Ey, 'atf weird," mumbled Ron through a mouthful of scrambled eggs, "Dun'dore don' ushy giff out thpesh bwefasht." Hermione let out a mournful sigh, while Sakura giggled and Harry rolled his eyes. Ginny only smiled fondly, used to dealing with a lot more then just Ron at the table.

"Ron, chew, swallow, and then talk." The red-head threw a dirty glare towards Hermione.

Ron cleared out his throat. "I said that Dumbledore doesn't usually give out speeches at breakfast."

"Oh? So _that's _what you said." Ron shot her a glare. "Actually Ron, now that you mention it, you are right. I s'pose it was because we had two transfer students last night, that Syaoran Li guy, and the one from Ravenclaw, Eriol Hiiragizawa."

Sakura, having just taken a bite of her toast, promptly choked.

Harry patted her back, while the other three threw her concerned looks. "I-I'm fine." She managed to say. Ron turned back to Hermione, admiration evident in his gaze. "It always amazes me just how much you can remember, even the most boring tidbits." Hermione resigned herself to the inevitable and rolled her eyes, "Yes, Ron, you can borrow my notes." The boy grinned happily, before stuffing his mouth with more food.

In the meanwhile, Ginny gazed thoughtfully between Syaoran and Sakura. It was rather late the night before when she had suddenly gotten the urge to relieve herself (that, and she may or may not have leaked onto the bed…) and had seen Sakura come in the portrait when she entered the bathroom, and came out 10 minutes later only to see the new student with a solemn air about him. Then the girl shrugged, knowing it was not any of her business, and tuned back into what Dumbledore was saying.

"Speaking of which… Harry! Aren't you supposed to be showing him around?" The marked boy could only shrug helplessly and pointed to the new student, scowling and glaring at everyone who met his gaze. Ron audibly gulped.

Sakura, toast digested properly, glanced at him sitting a couple of seats away. She then turned her gaze towards the Ravenclaw table, eyes locking on Eriol's unique hair. Sakura gasped lightly, shaking her head in disbelief.

Eriol, as if feeling (no doubt) Sakura's eyes burning against his back, turned to meet her. He nodded his head in greeting, while Sakura berated herself for not sensing his aura. Now that she knew Eriol was here, she could feel his aura. It felt… It was really hard for Sakura to describe it.

It was like…The flow of time, Ancient…Wisps of clouds, Serene…Blood of old, Power.

Looking up once again at Eriol, she let out a sweet smile, happy that he was at Hogwarts. He smiled back, before pointing at the great double oak doors of the Great Hall. Craning her head in the direction of the entrance, Sakura could feel the same marble-white aura that all wizards have, with one exception. It was so glaringly white, it almost clouded Sakura's senses. It was surprising that she only sensed it now. One thing was sure, the person behind the doors was powerful.

In the next second, why Sakura hadn't sensed the person's aura, or took special note of it, was figured out. It blinked, disappeared, and then had the ever-fluctuating, white-marble aura of a normal wizard or witch. Sakura gasped, while Syaoran jerked his head towards the door, also surprised at the person's manipulation of his or her aura. Extremely powerful.

Professor Dumbledore, though he did not have the same ability of sensing auras, felt a flare of what could only be described of as power, before it disappeared. He smiled and raised his arms, addressing to all the people who sat in the Great Hall. "Ah, yes. I believe that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor has now arrived. Please give a warm welcome to Professor Lazuli Croxley."

At Dumbledore's proclamation, the doors swung open revealing a young looking woman. She walked gracefully towards the head table, mousse-brown hair that fell around her shoulders in slight waves bouncing lightly. She turned and faced the students who were clapping politely, though the boys were a little busy focusing on something else.

"Good morning students. I am, as Professor Dumbledore announced, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. I am confident that I am fully qualified to be teaching you this subject, and hoping that I may take this position for a good few years yet. That is, of course, if I can dispel the curse that has surrounded this job." Lazuli Croxley tittered lightly while dark looks passed between the now Golden Quad, with Ron muttering under his breath, "Doubt it."

The recently appointed teacher cleared her throat, eerily reminiscent of the horrible toad-like professor that had the same post only a year before. "I am regretful to not have been able to attend the start of term feast. I was occupied …" Here she drifted off, eyes wandering before it landed on the one and only, Harry Potter. Surprisingly, nothing happened to his scar, not even a twinge or any feeling whatsoever. He smiled. Well, it only happened twice for the past six years, or didn't. He was glad to count small blessings, though; she may or may not still be connected to Voldemort. Just got to wait and see how it all plays out.

She nodded her head, as if to bow, and sat in the spare seat to the further left of Dumbledore, who, once again stood up. Hermione berated herself for not noticing the empty seat before, or the lack of a new professor. It was usually the very first thing any of them thought of.

"Ah, yes. We heartily welcome you to our family of Hogwarts and are greatly pleased to have you become one of our members…" The Headmaster continued to address the students and staff in his usual manner before the two boys and girls tuned him out.

"So? What do you think?" asked Sakura, knowing Harry and his usual luck, especially with the DADA professors. It was hard to find a good teacher nowadays. Ron, Harry, and Hermione, all looked towards where Professor Croxley was seated. She was pretty, of that there was no doubt. She had big, black eyes that were framed by full volume lashes, a small nose that tilted upwards, luscious lips and a dark tan not usually associated with English people. Pretty indeed.

"Wins the 'best looking teacher' award for sure." replied Ron, still staring at the professor. Hermione bristled. "Oh, I didn't know we had such an award. Besides, although Lockhart was phony, he was good-looking." The tips of Ron's ears began turning pink. "Yeah, well, he was a git and the biggest smarmiest bastard ever, wasn't he? So he doesn't count. Bloody nutter tried to Obliviate us." He turned his head the other way in a huff, before gathering even more food. Hermione narrowed her eyes while Sakura and Harry shared a secret smile. They chatted for a few more moments about trivial nonsense before Sakura remembered something.

"You know," interrupted a solemn-looking Sakura, "I overheard one of the teachers saying that Professor Snape was meant to be teaching DADA this year, and some teacher called Stugcorn or something like that, was expected to teach Potions."

"And let Snape take over what he loves best?" Ron snorted, "Not bloody likely!"

"No, really!" Sakura insisted.

Harry involuntarily shivered at the thought of Snape taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, while Hermione looked at the man himself. Now, as she closely observed the professor, she realized he looked even more furious than every other year, as if he just had a load of dragon dung dumped on his head, glaring at the new professor with loathing that even Harry did not receive. Startled, Hermione joined the conversation.

"I think you're right, Sakura! I mean, look at his expression. Doesn't he look more … I don't know, more furious somehow?"

Ron just shook his head. "He always looks like that! It's probably all that greasy hair getting to him."

"No, Ron. Honestly, look closer! The expression on his face looks like as if he's just been cheated out of what he loves most. And what does he love most? What position has he always been after? Defence Against the Dark Arts. Who is still stuck teaching Potions? Him. And who is he looking at with complete abomination, a look that even Harry does not get? The new professor of DADA, Professor Lazuli Croxley. It all fits! But some things are still really uncertain," Hermione frowned, "like why, if he _was_ meant to teach DADA, would he be taken off now? Who was this professor that was supposed to take over Potions? And-" Hermione was cut off by Ron.

"Come off it! Dumbledore probably realized it was a bad idea for Snape to teach DADA lessons 'cause he's such an evil git!"

"No, I think something else is going on." Harry said, glaring heavily at the Potions Master. "Something isn't right…"

Sakura sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we'll find out what somehow," she smirked, "besides, you guys always solve the mystery." Three identical smirks were reflected on the faces of the others.

A lumbering shadow moved from behind the teacher's table to an empty seat, the last chair down the right. It caught Hermione's eye and whispered to her companions, "Hey, look, Hagrid's back."

The other three hit themselves on the head for not noticing that the half-giant wasn't at the beginning of breakfast. Hagrid sat there fiddling with his long scraggly beard, an ugly looking, albeit small, bruise on the side of his cheek. Hermione gasped and choked out a question.

"You don't think Grawp's still here, do you?"

The other three winced, Ron and Sakura also having had the pleasure of meeting Hagrid's Giant younger brother. Before they could discuss the topic any further, Sakura let out a squeal of pure delight and smacked herself on the head once more for forgetting, while Syaoran's head turned to the double doors of the Great Hall and Eriol smiled knowingly. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at the Japanese girl in confusion.

"We are also having a very special guest joining us, for the duration of one month. This is an extremely special case, as the guest in question does not, in fact, wield any magical powers." Dumbledore's eyes once again twinkled mysteriously as cries of outrage echoed through the Great Hall, undoubtedly the loudest coming from Slytherin. The staff members too, of those who didn't know such a thing was planned, opened their mouth to express their opinions. Sakura merely giggled and beamed happily to herself as her friends discussed this with avid interest.

"I must ask you to behave courteously towards her. She indeed knows the existence of magic due to special circumstances, and is here to, let's say, experience our way of life. Our guest is allowed to wander about the corridors and join classes at will. I am greatly pleased to introduce you to, Ms. Tomoyo Daidouji."

As the great oak doors opened revealing a much younger and delicate looking girl, all three sorcerers felt the person's aura, a dark grey that indicated all who were muggle. But something wasn't right. The person's aura was mingled with another color, a pink so light it was almost white. Syaoran's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, wondering how Tomoyo's aura could emit something so unusual, before eyes lighting up in comprehension and glancing at Sakura's happy face.

As Syaoran glanced up at Tomoyo, he saw that she hadn't changed much, still as graceful, still as happy, but more mature and aged. She still had beautiful pale skin and large amethyst-looking eyes, albeit a slightly haunted look inside of them. The color of her hair was a rare raven-purple, almost reaching to her waist. Tomoyo stood on the step leading to the head table, facing the students, all of whom were whispering words of outrage mingled with words of appreciation.

"Hello, my name is Tomoyo Daidouji. I am very glad to be here," she let out a dazzling smile, "and hope to learn your culture. For my short stay, I will mostly be sitting at the Gryffindor table." (Here the Gryffindor table clapped, with Sakura the noisiest.) Tomoyo bowed and said "Please take care of me," before happily skipping to join Sakura who made room for her to sit.

"I believe that is all. I suggest you finish eating as your head of house is giving the new timetables." His eyes twinkled merrily, before resuming his place, seated.

The moment the amethyst eyed girl joined the group of four, the Gryffindors pounced on the girl with questions about herself, and introduced themselves. Shaking the many hands held out to her, Tomoyo could barely make out what people were saying. A few short sentences such as 'It's nice to meet you,' 'I'm Seamus!', 'How'd you come here?' and so on and so forth. For a few moments the muggle was dazzled before Sakura fended her friend and told them to bother her later. The Gryffindors grumbled, a bit, shocked at the girl who was almost always nice.

Shaking her head, the not-so-bushy-haired witch introduced herself.

"Hello, I am Hermione Granger, Prefect of Gryffindor house. If you would like, I can give you a tour of Hogwarts and explain more about the subjects chosen. I must say though, a muggle, here as guest? It's never happened before, it says so in Hogwarts: A History! Well, only if there was an attack, and even then they're related to someone magical! How did you find out about the existence of magic? Where are you fro-? " The youngest of the Weasley boys broke in, a small smile on his lips due to the way his first female friend carried on. Not to mention his slowly reddening face as he looked on appreciatively at Tomoyo.

"B-blimey, look at her go. Never stops talking this one." Ron stuttered, then felt a slap on his shoulders and glared at Hermione a bit while the poor girl decidedly ignored him. Tomoyo giggled, amused at the interactions of Sakura's friends.

"Anyway, my name's Ron Weasley, Gryffindor Prefect as well. That's one of my best mates, Harry Potter," Ron indicated with his head towards the boy-who-lived, who smiled and mumbled a hello, a small blush also staining his cheeks. "And that's Sakura Kinomoto, who transferred last year. You know, now that I think about it, there seems to be a lot of transfer students lately…"

Harry shook his head at the late observation. "So, Tomoyo, may I call you that?" After a nod of permission, Harry continued, "Are you from the same country as Sakura? Your names sound awfully alike, even the other transfer students. And you're all Asian too, uhm, no offence." he looked slightly embarrassed.

Hermione, comprehension dawning on her face, let out one of her infamous lines, "Of course!" while Tomoyo giggled and shot her best friend a mock-glare.

"What? My _kawaii_ Sakura-chan didn't even tell you about me? I'm disappointed in you Sakura-chan!" The girl who this comment was directed to blushed and mumbled a soft "_Hoe" _underneath her breath. "We're best friends," she continued, pointing to herself then Sakura, "we have been since pretty much when we were born. It was through my _kawaii_ Sakura-chan that I learned that," here she hesitated, glancing at Sakura unnoticeably, "that magic was real!"

Hermione nodded, asking here and there about how Tomoyo took the news of the revelation, how old she was, when it happened, etcetera.

Not so many moments later, after the initial getting-to-know-each other, Professor McGonagall gave out their new time tables. "Oh no, double Potions first thing with the Slytherins." Harry let out a tremendous groan. "Every year I seem to always have that on the first day!"

"Actually," Sakura rebutted, "Potions isn't that bad, it's just the teacher that makes it seem bad."

"_Bad?_ _Just_ the teacher? What were we just talking of before?" Ron asked, almost seemingly on the verge of hyperventilating. "Merlin! Have you gone absolutely stark raving mad? It's Snape, the _master_ of the Slimy Gits of Slytherin we're talking about! Bloody glad I dropped that subject."

Tomoyo giggled while Hermione hissed at him. "Ron, watch your language!" Said boy gaped at her, eyes going round.

"Blimey," he mumbled, "you sounded down right scary then… You sounded just like my mum!"

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it's still _Professor_ Snape. Though, I suppose you are right about him a little bit. Anyway Tomoyo, do you know any of the subjects yet?" Ron snorted in reply.

Tomoyo shook her head. "No, not yet, but I'll attend all my _kawaii_ Sakura-chan's class!" Sakura only blushed and used her signature word, "_Hoe"._

"Well, after double Potions, I've got Charms with the Ravenclaws, and double Transfigurations with the Hufflepuffs. They're all advanced classes too. What do you lot have?" Harry asked, breaking in.

"I've got the same subjects you have, Harry. Seems like we'll be seeing a lot of each other, ne?" Sakura smiled warmly up at Harry, while he blushed. Tomoyo looked at him, wiggling her eyebrows a bit but glanced surreptitiously at Syaoran, who she saw earlier during her first introduction. She made a mental note to reacquaint herself with the stoic boy and find out the facts. From the opposite side of Syaoran, she could see two girls squealing and giggling to themselves, not so subtly pointing at him. Tomoyo could only roll her eyes.

Sakura just resumed gazing thoughtfully at Syaoran, still not knowing where they stood with each other, who had his arms crossed, glaring at his plate. Suffice to say, she was more confused about their relationship since the talk last night.

"Well, I've got double Care of Magical Creatures first thing, so I'll be able to ask Hagrid why he wasn't at the feast last night. After that, Harry, mate, I've got everything you do." Ron grinned, pleased.

Hermione studied her schedule before breaking out in a thrilled smile. "Yeah, I've got the same as Harry and Sakura for everything. For today, anyway." The four laughed.

"It's a pity we don't have Defence Against the Dark Arts till Thursday," Sakura mused. "Would've loved to see how the new teacher works."

"You and me both." Harry said dryly, while Ron and Hermione exchanged grins. Tomoyo just looked around confused, chalking it to one of those 'known each other for a long time' things. But she felt put out all the same, she being a newcomer and outsider. Ginny interrupted everyone of their thoughts with an "It's nearly time to get ready. You better go, you lot shouldn't be late for classes either," before exiting the Great Hall.

Hermione bristled. "Ginny's right, we should all go before we're late."

Ron groaned. "C'mon, 'Mione! There's still like, 20 minutes before class!"

Hermione glowered at the boy. "And how long does it take to get to class?"

"Definitely not that long!"

Hermione glared at him viciously before Ron cowered.

"Alright, alright!"

All five of them stood up, along with the other students of Hogwarts, and picked up their bags filled with their equipment.

"Well, I'm off. I'll see you lot at Charms, then. I'll tell you all what Hagrid says." Ron said with a wave.

Harry bid Ron goodbye with a grimace. "See you later, mate. We're off to the dungeons." Ron snickered, before sprinting off to catch up with Dean, Thomas and Neville, who also were headed for Hagrid's hut, but for Neville who was on his way to the greenhouses. Before they could leave for their class however, Syaoran hurriedly greeted Tomoyo with a polite bow and pulled Sakura away to the side.

"Syaoran, wha-?"

"Look Sakura, last night must have dragged bad memories for you, and I'm really sorry," he whispered, sincerely apologetic. "Can," Syaoran hesitated, "can you meet me again tonight? I-I just, there's still a lot of things we have to discuss."

Sakura stared into his beautiful amber eyes, full of swirling emotion. She was a little uncomfortable about whatever they had to 'discuss', but knew the truth of the words. Besides, she really wanted to know where they stood with each other too.

"Okay, after dinner I'll lead you somewhere where we can talk."

Syaoran smiled in relief and happiness.

"Thank you." He was about to turn away before he asked her if she had potions first up. Sakura nodded and he told her he'd see her soon then.

Walking back to her friends, Harry and Hermione fired questions about the little scene, with Tomoyo giving her a 'you better tell me later' look in the background. Sakura nodded to Tomoyo, then held up a hand to stop the interrogation.

"I'll tell all you guys later. Just," she sighed, "respect my privacy, OK? There are personal things involved that I'd rather not tell, and even more things that I _can't_ tell. Oh, and I, uhm, said that I would meet Syaoran after dinner. Is that OK, Tomoyo? I mean, I know the reason you came here was to spend time with me…" Sakura looked at her best friend worriedly, "I mean, I don't have to go-"

The other girl cut in before she could finish, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "No! It's OK, besides, we have plenty of time to spend together." Silently, she cursed the magic that didn't allow muggle technology working in concentrated Wizarding areas.

Sakura bit her lip, turning to face Harry and Hermione. "Is the plan OK with you guys?" The two just laughed and nodded, though Harry felt a weird sensation brewing in the planes of his stomach.

Tomoyo finally took in the emptying Great Hall and said, "Hey, don't we have a class to get to?"

Hermione gasped in horror and began to drag the others away. They slowed down as they came nearer to the classroom, still seeing a couple of students hovering outside of it, dreading actually going inside.

"Ron's so lucky he doesn't do Potions anymore," Harry muttered wistfully, "maybe I should drop it too?"

"Don't you dare!" Hermione hissed. "I thought you wanted to be an Auror! You can't be one unless you do Potions, you know that."

Harry sighed while Sakura broke off her conversation with Tomoyo to nod her head in agreement with Hermione. "Don't worry," Sakura said while patting his arm a bit, "maybe this year he'll give you a break?"

Tomoyo just agreed with everything, having no clue what to say. But the three knew that it was a lie, something told only to try and comfort Harry. Something so untrue, it was proven a couple of minutes later when they entered the dungeons lab. Harry lead the three girls towards the back where there were free seats, before they heard a loud slam of the door and a furious swish of clothing. 'Damn him and that cloak of his' Harry thought, speeding up, though certain already of the punishment.

"Ah, 5 points each from Gryffindor for holding up the class. Choose your seats and sit down!" Snape barked, dressed in his usual gloomy attire. "Potter," he spat out, as if it was the dirtiest thing on earth, "I don't know how you got through to my class, and I suspect that the Headmaster had a hand in this, not to mention the blatant favoritism of Professor McGonagall, but mark my words! If you put even a hair out of line," here he smirked evilly, "I will have you out of this class forever before you can say…Wolfsbane." He drawled, obviously referring to Lupin.

From far off, Harry could hear Malfoy snort loudly, backed up by his bodyguards, and sneered at the disgusting hypocrite standing right in front of him. From an incident that had occurred last year, it had caused the Malfoy heir to leave Harry and his friends well alone, though it seemed that his sickening arrogance had come back with full force. Along with that, Harry had managed to gain a semblance of control of his temper, though sheer fury still seemed to radiate off him in streams on occasions that truly angered him, such as now.

Draco Malfoy would not have even passed Potions for the last five years let alone be in the NEWTs leveled class if not for Snape. He cursed the man mentally, over and over.

"And that goes for the rest of you." Snape remarked silkily. "If your grades start to slip below my standards, you are out of this classroom and I will make sure you shall never step foot in any potions classes again!" Everyone who wore not the Slytherin robes cowed a little at their professor's glare, extremely intimidated and knowing that it was directed at them.

Sneering, the Potions Master deftly flicked his wand and the instructions appeared on the board in small, eye-squinting writing. As he told his disappointing class of the potion they were brewing, he gazed at the faces of his students. He scoffed at the two transfer students who Dumbledore had 'hired', and glared at the filthy muggle. But he left them to their own devices, knowing explicitly he was not to provoke them. It did not mean he couldn't make the others squirm however.

As they were chopping and measuring out the ingredients, a voice rose above the noises of the potions class. "My, this place _really_ is going to the dogs. Imagine, having a filthy, disgusting muggle, here, in Hogwarts!" The pale-faced boy said, deliberately taunting all within ear's reach. "That old muggle-lover has gone too far this time!" Pansy simpered and nodded along to whatever the Malfoy heir said, putting in a 'Disgraceful!' once in a while.

Harry grabbed onto the edge of the desk tightly, face screwed up in hatred. Hermione kept on stirring her potion, the stringy blue liquid needing to be a bright azure consistency.om his workstation, smiling coyly. her finger, silencing Malfoy mid rant.at whatever the blo Her hand was visibly shaking, while Tomoyo was confused but knew that whatever the blonde-haired guy said, it was not good. She glanced at Harry's red face and his grinding teeth. She reached over to steady him, worried. Sakura, though her eyes dimmed, smirked. She traced a circle with her finger, silencing Malfoy mid rant. Startled, Syaoran looked up from his workstation feeling the works of sorcery, but knew not to interfere.

Snape was furious. He knew that creepy little Gryffindor girl had something to do with Draco's wild and panicked miming. Whipping out his wand, he cast spell after spell to stop whatever it was that held him silent. Nothing worked. "Girl," he snarled, turning to Sakura. "What. Have. You. Done with him!"

Standing up, Syaoran felt something down in the pits of his stomach, the need to protect Sakura bubbling over. As if sensing that need, Sakura shot him a look, and interpreting it correctly, he sat back down, eyes narrowed. But he wasn't the only one. Every single pair of eyes was now focused on the yelling Snape, much to the horror of the students watching.

The sorceress glanced at the oily-haired professor, eyes blazing, and shrugged. "Ano… He was saying something that I simply won't tolerate. Not only was he degrading the honor of Hogwarts and Headmaster Dumbledore-san, but he was abusing my best friend and muggles alike." A collective hush swept the room after the declaration, no one daring to believe that the innocent-looking girl was going head-to-head with the dreaded Potions Master.

Snape was incensed. _How dare this, this intolerable girl go against me!_ Before he could open his mouth, however, he was interrupted. "It won't last for long. Just until the lesson is over." Snape reached boiling point and rounded on a poor, unsuspecting Ravenclaw. "30 points from you for not crushing the beetles right! And you, 40 from Gryffindor for misbehaving!" The mixed houses stared at the man in shock. "_Well_? Get to your potions!" There was a scramble from everyone as they all hurried into pretense of making their potions.

Everything was tense, the silence palpable. Even the Slytherins worked diligently, at a loss for words. Draco Malfoy, the one who had started it all, resorted to glaring spitefully at the little 'mudblooded, muggle-lover'. Harry, Tomoyo and Hermione stared at Sakura in disbelief. "That was great!" whispered Harry, grinning like a maniac. By now it was nearing the end of the lesson, and everyone was hastily trying to finish.

Samples all handed in, the three girls and one boy rushed outside, eager to put as much distance between the dungeons and themselves. After the little scene, nothing of much importance happened. Nothing but biased comments, the too-common snide remarks, and the silent battle between the Potions professor and the Boy-Who-Lived. Although it seemed Snape had upped the ante a little with his loathing, if the crude and furious remarks and hate filled looks shot at their way, even more so to Sakura, indicated anything. When all of the students were out of earshot of the room, it seemed as if a dam had burst.

"Wow! Can you-"

"That was absolutely amazing!"

"-couldn't believe my ears!"

Rounding the corner, the little group of four had been quiet till then. "I can't believe it! That was too good to be true! Did you see the look on his face?" Harry then frowned. "He'll be on the warpath now mind you. But, still," Harry burst out in grins again. "_Did you see his face_?"

"Well," Sakura said, turning to look at Harry. "Better than you had imagined, ne?" He laughed uproariously.

Hermione smiled at the sight. She was glad to see Harry so care-free at the moment. It seemed like for the past few months, Harry was more than a little down. But…

"I don't think it was a good idea for you to have done that. I mean, Professor Snape will be on the look out for you to get into more trouble." Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yes, I know. But I couldn't help it! Malfoy no baka!"

Tomoyo held a pale hand to her mouth, lips curving in a delightful smile. "I must say," she laughed elegantly, "that that was an interesting first lesson." The four, even Hermione, burst out into more laughter.

Stopping in mid-laughter, Hermione realized how late it must have been. "Come on you guys! I don't want to be late for Charms like Potions! Oh, I cannot believe that we already lost 15 points for Gryffindor, not to mention the other _40_! And it's only the first day of actual school!"

With that proclamation, Hermione took off with the others following behind.

Hermione and Tomoyo panting heavily, Harry not so much, and Sakura not at all, they arrived at their Charms classroom. Suffice to say they were the first of the few who were already there. Seeing Luna Lovegood, a fellow sixth-year the three students had gotten to know, all four took seats around her. While the not-so-quite-in-tune girl was not Hermione's favorite, she had gotten over her initial skepticism of Luna's…well, everything frankly and finally found it within herself to enjoy the girl's presence.

"Hey, Luna!" Sakura chirped happily, while the others followed in suit of greeting the strange but lovely girl. Luna snapped her head around as if only noticing that they were there. "Oh, hello there," she said in her velvety but dreamy voice, then turned to Tomoyo, "I like your purple hair, did the Nitwickles turn it that color? You might want to be careful though, sometimes they like to stay in your hair and cause it to fall out."

Shooting a confused glance to the others around her, she smiled and shook her head. "No, at least I don't think so."

Giggling, Sakura introduced the two girls to each other. "Tomoyo, this is Luna Lovegood, same year Ravenclaw. Luna, this is my best friend-"

"Tomoyo Daidouji, right?"

"_Hai_!"

While they were having their conversation, the rest of the class trickled in. Harry started, realizing that a few people to his left were discussing what happened in potions earlier. Shaking his head, he grinned deviously as he recalled Snape's expression. Nothing like _Snivellus_ being put into his place. It was no surprise that others were still talking about it, in fact it would be very surprising instead, if the whole school hadn't heard of it by lunch time. Spotting a few of their friends, they said hi to various people. Not much later, Terry Boot, Neville Longbottom and at last Ron Weasley came in, looking to be in a foul mood with various injuries.

Harry smirked. "Hey mate, which dangerous creature were you studying today?"

Ron groaned. "Why did I take it? _Why?_ I could have taken Herbology or something, but _no_, I had to take a class were the subjects we study are trying to _kill _us!"

Hermione looked at him in pity and with the slightest tinge of admiration. "Because you're loyal to a fault."

Ron stared at her before he began coughing and stuttering out denials. Harry and the two Japanese girls shared a look and grinned. Deciding to change the subject before Ron turned a darker shade of red than his hair, Sakura asked him what had happened during Care of Magical Creatures.

"Well, other than these huge beasts thinking it's fun to try and murder me," at this, everyone but the red-head rolled their eyes, except for Luna, who, as always, seemed to be off in her own world. "I asked Hagrid about what happened to him and why he was late." Ron's voice became progressively softer and paused at the end of his sentence.

Hermione, not able to withstand not knowing something, shrieked out a "What did he say?!"

Ron let out a defeated sigh. "He told me to visit him later this week. Said he's got something interesting for us."

Everyone face-faulted, then let out a sigh of disappointment, curiosity piquing. "Say, what happened in Potions?" Ron asked, remembering the way the professor had stalked out of the Great Hall as he was walking to the Charms classroom. Everyone smirked, and Harry told him. "Malfoy was being his usual annoying self…" A few minutes later, everyone turned to the red-head who let out snorts of laughter.

"Mr. Weasley!" Squeaked their diminutive professor. "If you wouldn't mind quieting down!" Ron, who by now was tearing up, tried to hold back his laughter, only to choke. Clearing his throat, Professor Flitwick turned to face the rest of the class.

And thus began their first Charms lesson of the year.

Writing down the notes from the board with her quill, Sakura's mind wandered off. She thought of all the significant things that happened throughout her life, what she's accomplished, the friends she made… But her thoughts mainly focused on a certain amber eyed heir. Sighing, she twirled her quill between her fingers.

"Syaoran…"

"Did you say something, Sakura-chan?" asked Tomoyo, knowing exactly whose name her best friend whispered and laughing mischievously inside.

Sakura ducked her head to the side, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "_Nandemonai..._" she mumbled off in Japanese.

The original Dream Team shot them confused looks, then shrugged at each other before turning back to their work.

Sakura looked around the classroom, fading off into her memories. So many times she had been saved by Syaoran, so many times he had been there for her… So many years she had been forced to live her life without anything from him. No talk, no see, no nothing at all. After he left, that day…

She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, aura flaring up. Shocked, Eriol, Syaoran, Lazuli Croxley and Dumbledore all looked up, sensing her distress, though the last not knowing where or who it came from.

The more she thought of that day, the more the wound in her heart cut deeper. The way the blood spilt…raining crimson on the floor. The desperate looks, full of pain and love. How she wished, oh, how she wished! The more she remembered, the more her aura rose until eventually everyone in the whole school felt an invading presence and stopped what they were doing.

Sakura's nails dug deep into her hands, scratches appearing. And all throughout, not one tear spilt down from her eyes, still bitterly embedded in her past. So lost was she in her memories, Sakura didn't realize a body falling her way, shaking her and making her stumble back a few steps. Literally knocked into the present, the ever rising cacophony of the classroom almost deafened her, the noise rocking her senses. What she saw made her eyes pop, the whole of the Charms class panicking, not knowing how to respond to such a violent… _thing_ that enveloped their being.

The sorceress gasped, forcing herself to fight off the building hysteria and calm down.

A large bang erupted from around Sakura's right, people everywhere stunned into a stand-still. Cringing at the sudden deafening silence, she faced the front to find a bewildered looking Professor Flitwick. Mouth opening and closing, the tiny professor gathered his wits about him and dismissed the class. The moment everyone left the room, they all exploded once again into talk.

"What the hell was that!" shouted the Irishman.

"B-Blimey, I've never felt anything like that before!" included Ron, Harry behind him nodding in thoughtful agreement.

Parvati and Lavender shuddered, asking the Ravenclaws what they thought about it. But they all shrugged, replying that none of them had heard or read anything like it. Except for Luna, who everyone ignored when she announced it was the symptom of the Crowned Mirdopoon being fed purple chocolate.

During all this, Hermione stayed silent while she watched Tomoyo comfort Sakura from the corner of her left eye. Looking around, she saw the worried expression on the new transfer student. Frowning, she realized he was staring avidly at the cardmistress. As if a little light bulb switched on inside her head, she connected the eerie feeling to the powerful sorceress. Hermione gazed at the girl in pity, knowing it must have been extremely horrible to unconsciously cause her powers to reflect her emotions. She had to stamp down the flames of curiosity burning inside of her, if not a little bit hurt that Sakura hadn't told any of them. Though, Hermione reasoned to herself, they've only known each other little more than a year. Everything would be told all in due time.

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Hey again! I know it's been such a long time since I've updated, and I'm truly ashamed. I hope that this chapter was okay, and that the next time I update would be a lot faster than this, with much more action. The next chapter will include another little talk between S&S, and introducing other beloved characters, _and_ the beginning of what I really want to get into!

Oh, and can anyone guess what happened to Sakura? I'm sure someone will be able to get it! Either way, it'll be 'revealed' in the next chapter. AND! Anyone have suggestions for a villainous name? It doesn't even have to be Jap! An evil name for a wicked person, whether western, or eastern, or something in between!

Also, I want to ask people whether or not my chapters are too long? Because I've no doubt that in the future, a lot of my chapters would be much longer than this one, and maybe I should put it up in different chapters instead of one big one? Please tell me what you think, and I'm truly sorry for the wait! 


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